Tobacco product and method of making the same



Oct. 10, 1961 G. F. GRUNWALD 3,003,895

TOBACCO PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Dec. 2, 1958 Jnvenfor:

United States PatentO many Filed Dec. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 777,618 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 6, 1957 13 Claims. (Cl. 131-17) The present invention relates to a tobacco product and a method of making the same. i More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of producing a tobacco-containing foil which can be further processed mechanically in the manufacture of cigars and cigarettes, and to the tobacco foil produced for such purpose.

It has long been attempted, to transform tobacco into a shape such as foil shape, in order to be able to feed such tobacco foils into machines and to obtain uniform products which will be substantially free of the imperfections inherent in the processing of natural tobacco leaves or portions thereof.

The many methods which have been described for the above-mentioned purpose can be divided into two groups.

The first group comprises methods which substantially follow the technique of paper making. According to these methods, ground tobacco together with cellulose and water is introduced into a paper making machine and is ground therein to a paste-like mass. This paste is then further processed in known manner to a paper-like foil. However, unavoidably valuable water soluble tobacco constituents are washed out of the tobacco and lost together with the water used during processing of the paste or slurry on the screens of the paper machine. Fur thermore, due to the required introduction of cellulosic materials in a quantity of up to 60% of the Weight of the final product, the same does no longer possess tobaccolike qualities. Thus, the above described method causes loss of a considerable portion of the tobacco extractives and very great dilution with paper-like cellulose.

The other group comprises methods according to which the tobacco powder is worked up into a paste by adding thereto film forming substances, mainly water-soluble cellulose ethers. This paste is then rolled or poured or drawn into the shape of a thin foil and simultaneously dried.

Very recently, it has also been attempted to dust tobacco powder on the adhesive surface of a film of fabric formed of sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, and to obtain in this manner a tobacco-containing sheet.

However, all of these methods have inherent disadvantages. Tobacco foils produced by the first of the above discussed methods suffer in their tobacco qualities, particularly the taste and smell of the smoke is rather similar to that of paper, due to the dilution of the tobacco and the removal of extractives from the same, and, consequently, these methods have not been introduced successfully in the tobacco industry. The methods of the second group do not result in a product of satisfactory tobacco qualities, particularly smell and taste of the smoke.

This is due to the high content of cellulose ethers. Furthermore, food and drug acts of many countries make requirements which cannot be met by the product obtained according to the methods of the second group.

In addition thereto, a substantial number of the above discussed tobacco foils are of little strength and great brittleness and consequently, mechanical processing of the same is rather diflicult.

- It is therefore an object of the present invention to "ice overcome the above discussed difliculties in the production of satisfactory tobacco foils. q I K It is another object of the present invention'to providea tobacco foil which can be produced in a simple and economical manner and which will not possess the dis: advantages discussed above. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method according to which a tobacco foil can be pro; duced which contains only a relatively small percentage of non-tobacco constituents and wherein the tobaccofree tains essentially all of its extractives. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a tobacco-containing foil and a method of pro ducing the same, which foil is'excellently. suitable for further processing, particularly in the manufacture of cigars and cigarett p I Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a further reading of the de scription and the appended claims. With the above and other objects in view, the present invention includes a method of producing a tobacco-con taining foil, comprising the steps ofapplying to at least one face of a relatively thin cellulosic carrier sheet a mass consisting essentially of an-intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of 'a liquid medium susbstanti'ally' in capable to react with either the tobacco or the cellulosic carrier sheet, so as to form a coating of the mass on the sheet; and drying the thus-coated carrier sheet so as to remove at least the major portion of the liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of the carriersheet and of the tobacco coating thereon is formed. The present invention also contemplates as a new article of manufacture, a tobacco-containing foil, comprising, in combination, a cellulosic carrier sheet, and a layer consisting essentially of finely subdivided tobacco covering and adhering to at least one face of the carrier sheet. j

Surprisingly it has been found that the disadvantages of the prior art methods of producing tobacco foils, and of the thus produced foils can be overcome by applying a slurry or suspension of finely ground tobacco and water and/or organic solvents, free of binding agents, to ,a'thin fleece 'or fabric of regenerated cellulose, so-called 'ce ll wool. The tobacco-liquid mixture can be applied in one or several layers and it also can be applied either to one or to both faces of the cellulose regenerate foil. The thus-coated cellulosic foil is then dried in one or in a series of drying steps. The carrier sheet which is'us'ed according to the present invention, namely the fleece or foil made of regenerated cellulose can be produced without addition of binding materials, in manners known per se in the art, such as the methods described in the German Patents Nos. 843,514, 882,209 or 884,307. Non-woven'ffabribs are further described for instance in German Patents Nos, 882,209 and 884,307. Similarly, thin, wovenfabrics of regenerated cellulose can be produced in accordance with methods well known in the art. p

Preferably, the carrier sheet of regenerated cellulose which is used accordingto the present invention will possess a weight of between 10 and 40 grams per square meter, and excellent results were obtained with such carrier sheets having, a weight of between 15 and 2 grams per square meter. The carrier sheet or skeleton of the tobacco foil, con sisting of regenerated cellulose fibers will burn together with the tobacco without impairing the taste orsmell of the same. Preferably, the weight of the carrier sheet is only a relatively small fractionof the .weightfofithe entire tobacco-containing foil. Thus, the weight of the carrier sheet may amount to between 2.5 and 50 percent of the total weight of the tobacco-containing :foil; and preferably the weight of the carrier sheetwill be limited to between -1 0 an d 25 percent of thetptalweight the tobacco containing foil. Thus, the weight of the tobacco-coa'ting will in most cases be equal to between one and forty times the weight of the carrier sheet, and preferably equal to at least threetimes the weight of the carrier sheet, or to between three timesand seven and a half times the weight of the carrier sheet.

The tensile strength or resistance to tearing, the bending strength and the breaking strength of the tobaccocontaining foil according to the present invention are very high, many times as high as the respective qualities of tobacco foils made according to the above discussed prior .art methods.

The tobacco which is to be used according to the present invention is to be comminuted, preferably ground, to such an extent that the largest particles of the tobacco powder do not exceed a size of approximately 100g. The average size .of the individual tobacco particles preferably will be kept to between 45 and 55p.

The tobacco powder is then mixed with a suitable liquid medium so as to form a slurry or paste which can be applied to the carrier sheet. For this purpose, a liquid is to be used which will not impair the taste of the tobacco and which is sufliciently volatile so that it will evaporate at temperatures which are reached during the customary drying of tobacco. Of course, a liquid must be used which will not react in harmful manner with either the tobacco or the carrier sheet.

For economical reasons, preferably water is used as the liquid with which the tobacco powder is to be mixed. In place of water, it is also possible to use low boiling alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, or propanol, or the corresponding ketones, such as acetone or methyl ethyl ketone or the corresponding esters such as formic acid ester, acetic acid ethyl ester, and the like.

'These liquids may be used singly or as mixtures of two 01' more of the same. Thus, not only a mixture of of two or more of the alcohols, ketones, and esters can be used but for instance also a mixture of water with one or more of the above named alcohols and ketones.

The quantity of liquid required for a given quantity of tobacco depends greatly on the quality and origin of the tobacco, i.e., the tobacco powder. For'inst-ance, in case of a tobacco powder which swells very easily, greater quantities of the liquid will be required, and in combination with a tobacco powder which shows relatively litle tendency for swelling, less liquid will be :used. In any event, the quantity of liquid must be such that a paste or slurry is formed which can be applied to the carrier sheet so as to form a susbtantially even layer or coating on the same.

It is particularly surprising, that according to the present invention, the tobacco powder can be applied to the carrier sheet without the addition of any kind of bindingor adhesive materiaLsuch as was required up to now. Particularly, it is not necessary to use cellulose ether. It is sufiicient to make a slurry .of paste or the tobacco powder with water and/or an organic solventof the type described above. If desired, a humidifying agent such as glycerine can be added. The mixture is then applied in this layers to one or both faces of the carrier sheet and dried thereon. The coating or application of layers and the drying can be repeated several times if desired.

In this :manner, a dry, tobacco-containing foil is obtained which with respect to smell, taste of the smoke, combustion qualities and mechanical strengths does not difier from a natural tobacco leaf.

Frequently it has been found advantageous to dye the carrier sheet of regenerated cellulose in known manner so as to endow .the same with a tobacco-like color. The carrier shect may alsobe treated with agents which conno! or improve the combustion of the tobacco-containing follwhcn the same has been further processed into cigarettes, cigars or the like.

For purposes, primarily for use of the tobacco-containing foil according to the present invention in the manufacture of cigarettes and smoking tobacco, it has been found advantageous to add to the tobacco powder paste or slurry, additives such as are customarily added to tobacco, such as aromatic ingredients, sugar, humidifiers, pigments, softeners, combustion controlling agents, licorice, and the like.

The drying of the coated carrier sheet has to be carried out at such temperatures that on the one hand the liquid medium of the tobacco slurry or paste will evaporate and, on the other hand, the aromatic ingredients and any desirable additives to the tobacco slurry will not be volatilized or decomposed. Good results are for instance obtained by drying in per se known manner with hot air, infrared or high frequency driers, preferably at a temperature of for instance to C. at atmospheric pressure. The drying temperature has to be determined in a given case taking under consideration the specific liquid medium in the coating and the desired drying speed. It is also possible to dry at higher temperatures such as C. without detrirnentally affecting the tobacco coating. Thereby one has to take into consideration that as long as a certain degree of moisture is still retained in the coating, the actual temperature to which the tobacco is exposed will be correspondingly lower than the applied drying temperature.

Tobacco-containing foils according to the present invention can be produced with any desired weight per square meter, depending on the purpose for which the tobacco-containing foil is eventually to be used.

When the tobacco-containing foil is to be used as cut tobacco or for the inner portion of cigars, preferably foils are produced having a weight of up to 200 grams per square meter. For cover leaves of cigars and the like, primarily foils with a weight of up to 100 grams per square meter will be used.

When the tobacco-containing foil according to the present invention is to be used as the cover leaf of a cigar, it has been found advisable, to spray the foil with a fixing agent known in the art such as an alcoholic shellac solution or to brush such solution onto the foil, or apply it in any other suitable method, in order to further improve the resistance of the foil against moisture and mechanical stress. The foil can also be embossed or imprinted, for instance, so as to resemble more closely a natural tobacco leaf.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the product according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line A--A of FIG. 1, however, showing only a portion of such cross section and on a scale which is even more enlarged than the scale of the view of FIG. 1.

In order to more clearly illustrate the structure of the fleece which forms the reinforcing skeleton of the tobacco-containing foil according to the present invention, portion 1 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. .1 shows only the fleece without the tobacco adhering thereto. Portion 2 of FIG. 1 illustrates the complete structure, he the subdivided tobacco particles and the fleece of regenerated cellulose embedded therein.

Correspondingly, in the cross sectional view of FIG. 2 reference numeral 1 denotes the tobacco particles.

The following examples are given as illustrative only of the present invention, the invention however not being limited to the specific details of the examples.

Example I 50 grams of ground Havana tobacco are mixed with 150 grams of water, 50 grams of methanol and 3 grams of glycerine so as to obtain a mass of dough-like consistency. This mass is then applied with a broad and soft brush onto a square .meter of a fleece made of regenerated cellulose fibers by any one of the processes known for this purpose, and having a weight of 15 grams per square meter. In :this manner an even, thin layer of the tobacco-containing mass is applied to both faces of the fleece. I smoothened in a calender. In this manner, a tobacco foil is obtained having a weight of about 65 grams per square meter and possessing an excellent tobacco smell and taste. The thus produced tobacco-containing foil is for instance suitable for producing therefrom cover leaves for cigars. If the foil is to be used for this purpose, i.e. as cigar cover leaves, then it is advisable to further treat the surface of the tobacco-containing foil in the following manner: v

The foil is fixed on one or both faces with a 3% alcoholic shellac solution and in this manner made insensitive against moisture and resistant against mechanical abrasion. When it is desired to give to the foil the appearance of a natural tobacco leaf, then, the, rib design of a tobacco leaf can be embossed on the foil in manners known per se in the paper and wall paper industries.

Example II 5 grams of sodium salt of humic acid and 2. grams of potassium nitrate are dissolved in 50 grams of water. A square meter of a fleece and regenerated cellulose weighing 20 grams per square meter is then dyed to a tobaccolike color with the thus prepared solution, and thereafter the fleece is dried.

150 grams of finely ground Virginia tobacco are mixed with a solution consisting of 200 grams of Water,"5 grams of 1,3 butylene glycol, 50 grams acetone, grams magnesium acetate, 3 grams potassium nitrate, and 30 grams of an aqueous 20% styrax emulsion. A dough-like mass is formed in this manner and the same is then applied evenly onto both faces of the dyed cellulosic fleece serving as carrier sheet. After drying and calendering, in this manner a tobacco-containing foil is obtained, weighing about 170 grams per square meter and excellently suitable for use as cut tobacco in cigarettes or as smoking tobacco for pipes. Smoking tobaccos of such foils may also be further treated during their production and in accordance with known methods with aromatic ingredients and other tobaccoadditives. Furthermore, the thus obtained cut tobacco may be mixed during its production or thereafter with natural cut tobacco.

Example 111 1 square meter of a fiber fleece made of regenerated cellulose and weighing about 18 grams per square meter is dyed in conventional manner to tobacco-like color.

50 grams of Sumatra tobacco ribs, which were finely ground are now thoroughly mixed with 200 grams of water, 3 grams of sorbitol, 50 grams isopropenol, and 50 cubic centimeters of a 10 percent aqueous emulsion of benzoin resin. The thus formed dough-like tobacco mass is then evenlyapplied to both faces of the dyed fleece. After drying ofi of the liquid, an additional layer of tobacco paste of substantially similar composition as'used above is applied to both faces of the coated fleece, how ever, the tobacco paste of the additional layer contains ground Sumatra tobacco in place of the ground Sumatra tobacco ribs used for the firstcoating. Thereafter, the doubly coated fleece is dried again. In this manner a tobacco-containing foil is obtained weighing about 110 grams per square meter and possessing the characteristics of Sumatra tobacco. The thus produced foil is excellently suitable for the inner portions of cigars. Cigar tobaccos made of this foil may also be further treated with aromatic ingredients such as cedar oil or vanilla extract, or with solutions of invert sugar and the like, in a similar manner as natural tobacco may be treated.

The liquid medium, may consist of water alone or of low boiling organic liquids of the typedescribed above or of mixtures of water and organic liquids.

For instance, the liquid medium may contain 95% or 75% or 50% water, the balance being one or a mixture of several of the organic liquids described above or of After drying oif the liquid, the foil is similar organic liquids. It has been found that in most cases preferably a mixture containing between 60 and parts of organic" parts of water and between 40 and 10 liquids will give excellent results.

' For producing cigar foils, preferably 80 parts of water" vention.. These include, without, however, being limited thereto: i

(a) Humidifiers and softeners such as higher valence alcohols, for instance glycerine, sorbitol, butylene glycol, propylene glycol, di-ethylene glycol and the like;

(12) Combustion controlling agents such as sodium, potassium, magnesium-nitrate, magnesium oxide, potassium, sodium and calcium salts of formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid and citric acid either singly or a mixture of several of the same;

(c) Coloring agents suchas chlorophyll, quinolineyel-' low humic acid, tarthrazine-yellow, indigotine, yelloworange, etc. The coloring agents should be selected from those which are accepted as food colorings;

' (d) Aromatic additives, such as tonka bean extract cedar oil, vanilla extract, maple sugar and maple extract, benzoin resin, styrex, various balsams, balsam of tolu, essential oils and the like;

(e) Invert sugar solutions and other sugar products, cocoa and cocoa extracts, tobacco extracts and resins, fruit extracts and the like, alone or a mixture of two or more of the same. These additives are applied in solution or in the form of emulsions,

(f) Pigments such as aluminum, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and other pigments conventionally used in the tobacco industry. Preferably, these pigments are dyed with one or the other of the above named coloring ingredients so as to obtain a tobacco-like color; V i

(g) Products for increasing abrasion resistance, such as natural resins, shellac, cellulose derivatives which are soluble in organic solvents such as ethyl cellulose, carboxy methyl cellulose, alone or a mixture of the same.

These abrasion resistance improving products are known grams of tobacco powder which has been ground to a particle size of about 50;/., are thoroughly mixed with 450 cubic centimeters of water so as to obtain a tobacco mass of somewhat dough-like consistency. This mass is brushed onto both faces of a fleece made of a regenerated cellulose. After drying of the thus coated fleece for one-half hour in an electrically heated drying cabinet at a temperature of C. a tobacco foil according to the present invention is obtained.

In the foregoing example, water can be replaced with a mixture of for instance, 300 grams of water and 100 grams of isopropanol, or with a mixture of 200 grams of methanol, 50 grams of propanol and 50 grams of methyl ethyl ketone. As humidifier, 15 grams of 1,3-butylene glycol are added to the above described water-isopropanol mixture.

Furthermore, 0.01%, equal to 0.05 gram of Tonka bean extract, 2%, equalto 10 grams invert sugar and-l equal to grams of potassium nitrate may be added to the tobacco mass to serve as aromatic additivess and combustion controlling agents.

The regenerated cellulose fibers of the fabric or fleece can be dyed, for instance, with 1% tarthrazine-yellow, either prior to application of the tobacco mass, or the tarthrazine-yellow may be incorporated in the form of a solid substance, in a concentration of 1%, equal to 5 grams, into the tobacco mass made according to this example with the 300 grams of water and 10.0 grams of isopropenol.

After thus producing a tobacco-containing foil according to the present invention, the coated faces of the same may be sprayed with a two percent alcoholic solut-ion of benzoine resin and thereafter dried again.

Finally, the thus treated, dry tobacco-containing foil may be embossed by being passed in contact with an embossing roller, in a manner similar to the embossing of wall paper and the like.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin cellulosic fleece in the absence of binding agents, with .a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tocacco or said cellulosic fleece so as -to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; and drying the thus-treated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

2. A method of producing a tobacco-containing pfoil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece; and drying the thus-treated fleece so as ,to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

3. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating both faces ;of a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; and drying the thus-treated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

-4. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of powdered tobacco, -a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece and a humidifying agent so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving .as reinforcing skeleton there- 8 for; and drying the thus-treated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

5. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of powdered tobacco, a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said fleece and tobacco additives so as .to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; drying the thus-treated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

6. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finelysubdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantiall y incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic ,fleece so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; treating said fleece with coloring material so as to dye said fleece in tobacco-like color, said two treating steps being carried out in any desired sequence; and drying the thus-treated fleece so ,as to remove at least the major portionof said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

7. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin carrier fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said ,cellulosic carrier fleece so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; treating said carrier fleece with an agent adapted to control the rate of combustion, said two treating steps being carried outin any desired sequence; and drying the thus-treated carrier fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentialytof said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

8. A method .of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco .and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece so as to form a layer ,of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; drying the thus-coated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed; and treating the thus-formed foil with a water-insoluble fixing agent.

9. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating ,a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece so as to form ,a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor; drying the thus-coated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed; andembossing said treated fleece, said steps of drying and embossing being carried out in any desired sequence.

10. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco having a maximum particle size of about 100 and of a liquid medium substantially incapable to react With either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor the dry weight of said tobacco being equal to between once and forty times the weight of said fleece; and drying the thustreated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

11. A method of producing a tobacco-containing foil, comprising the steps of treating a relatively thin fleece consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose with a mass consisting essentially of an intimate mixture of finely subdivided tobacco having an average particle size of about 50 and a liquid medium substantially incapable to react with either said tobacco or said cellulosic fleece so as to form a layer of said mass with said fleece serving as reinforcing skeleton therefor the dry Weight of said tobacco being equal to at least three times the weight of said fleece; and drying the thus-treated fleece so as to remove at least the major portion of said liquid, whereby a foil consisting essentially of said finely subdivided tobacco particles and said fleece forming a reinforcing skeleton therefor is formed.

12. A tobacco-containing foil, comprising, in combination a layer of subdivided tobacco particles; and a fleece of regenerated cellulose embedded in said tobacco layer forming a reinforcing skeleton structure therefor.

13. A tobacco-containing foil, comprising, in combination, a coherent layer consisting essentially of finely subdivided tobacco particles; and a fleece of regenerated cellulose embedded in said tobacco layer forming a reinforcing skeleton structure therefor, said foil being free of binding agents.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 46,233 Hale Feb. 7, 1865 203,766 Pickett May 14, 1878 253,841 Carpenter Feb. 21, 1882 267,764 Wood Nov. 21, 1882 2,217,527 Roon Oct. 8, 1940 2,613,672 Sartoretto et al. Oct. 14, 1952 2,734,509 Jurgensen Feb. 14, 1956 2,734,510 Hungerford et a1. Feb. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,494 Great Britain 1884 453,844 Great Britain Sept. 30, 1935 

1. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A TOBACCO-CONTAINING FOIL, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TREATING A RELATIVELY THIN CELLULOSIC FLEECE IN THE ABSENCE OF BINDING AGENTS, WITH A MASS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF FINELY SUBDIVIDED TOBACCO AND OF A LIQUID MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY INCAPABLE TO REACT WITH EITHER SAID TOBACCO OR SAID CELLULOSIC FLEECE SO AS TO FORM A LAYER OF SAID MASS WITH SAID FLEECE SERVING AS REINFORCING SKELETON THEREOF, AND DRYING THE THUS-TREATED FLEECE SO AS TO REMOVE AT 